The Office
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"It is my intent to work with citizens, public officials, legislators, and state agencies on a daily basis. I will assist the Governor and work to coordinate meetings, task forces, and research projects. Also, it is important to me that my office act as an ombudsman for Vermont citizens by providing information and support. The office is staffed with one full-time assistant and uses part-time, temporary employees as needed." |
Brian Dubie was sworn in as Vermont's new Lieutenant Governor on January 9, 2003.
The Lieutenant Governor Office is located in the Vermont State House:
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
115 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05633-5401
802-828-2226, Fax: 802-828-3198
Lieutenant Governor Responsibilities:
The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, is a member of the Senate's Committee on Committees which appoint committees and assigns them bills and resolutions to consider, votes in the Senate only to break roll-call ties, and serves as acting governor when governor is unavailable.
Lieutenant Governor Authority:
According to the Vermont Constitution the State of Vermont shall be governed by a Governor (or Lieutenant-Governor), a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Lieutenant-Governor shall be President of the Senate, except when exercising the office of Governor.
Vermonters elect six statewide officials at each general election:
The office of governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, secretary of state, auditor of accounts, and attorney general are elective offices. The first five are provided for in the constitution, while the attorney general is provided for by the General Assembly. Under the earlier state constitutions, Vermonters elected only three state officers at large: governor, lieutenant governor, and treasurer. They were chosen each September for a term of a single year. In 1870 the term was extended to two years. In 1883 the secretary of state and auditor of accounts, who had previously been elected by the legislature, were added to the statewide ballot.
It should be noted that the governor and lieutenant governor are elected independently. Whatever their relationship or respective party affiliations, the governor and lieutenant governor have generally cooperated.
By constitution there are only two specific duties assigned to the position of lieutenant governor: serving as president of the Senate and acting for the governor in the governor's absence.
Although the lieutenant governor as president of the Senate is the Senate's presiding officer, he is not the leader of the body. The senators elect one of their number to serve as president pro tempore, who sets the agenda and controls the flow of legislation as well as presides in the absence of the president. The lieutenant governor, president pro tem, and another senator elected by the members of the body serve as the Committee on Committees, which appoints the Senate's committees and assigns them bills and resolutions to consider.
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